ABOUT BLACKPINK

BLACKPINK is a South Korean Girl Group formed by YG Entertainment, the members auditioned with the entertainment agency to become students or 'trainees' with the hope of one day making their debut as a recording artist. When Blackpink debuted, their label YG Entertainment said the name intends to convey that the group embodies more than beauty. The group was formed in August 2016 consisting members of JISOO, JENNIE, ROSÉ, and LISA. Jennie was the first to be signed on as a trainee (she was only 14) and the first to be confirmed as a member of the girl group. Then, Thai rapper Lisa became the second trainee at YG Entertainment in 2011. In that same year, Jisoo became a trainee before landing a spot in the band, then Rosé became the fourth and final member, signing on as a trainee in 2012.

The meaning of BLACKPINK aims to contradict the common perception of the color pink. Pink is commonly used to portray prettiness, but BLACKPINK actually means to say that 'Pretty isn’t everything.' It also symbolizes that they are a team that encompasses not only beauty, but also great talent.

Pre-debut

Preparations for Blackpink's debut began in 2011, when YG Entertainment revealed on November 14 that their new girl group would debut in the early half of 2012 and feature at least seven members. Since then, numerous news and rumors surfaced surrounding the new girl group's debut being delayed, although there had been no official information. On May 18, 2016 YG Entertainment confirmed the girl group would debut that July, stating that the members were selected through years of stiff competition.

Jennie was the first group member revealed, on June 1. Lisa was revealed as the new girl group's second member on June 8, 2016. She was the only individual among 4,000 applicants to pass the 2010 YG Entertainment audition in her native Thailand and became the label's first foreign trainee in 2011. On June 15, Jisoo was revealed to be the new group's third member. Rosé was the final member to be revealed, on June 22, 2016. She ranked first among 700 applicants in the 2012 YG Entertainment audition in Australia.

On June 29, YG Entertainment confirmed that the new girl group would have four members and revealed its official name as Blackpink. According to a label representative, the group's name meant "pretty isn't everything" and symbolized that "they are a team that encompasses not only beauty, but also great talent." Jisoo later disclosed in a press conference that other group names under consideration included Pink Punk, Baby Monster, and Magnum.

Blackpink released their first dance practice video on July 6. On July 29, YG Entertainment confirmed that Blackpink's debut would be on August 8, 2016.

2016

Blackpink released their debut single album, Square One, on August 8, 2016, consisting of tracks "Boombayah" and "Whistle". They charted at number one and two on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart, making Blackpink the fastest act to achieve such a feat and the third Korean artist to hold the top two positions simultaneously, after label mates Psy and Big Bang. Blackpink's first music show performance aired on August 14, 2016 on SBS's Inkigayo. They won first place on Inkigayo thirteen days after their debut, breaking the record for the shortest time for a girl group to win on a music program after debut.

Blackpink released their second single album, Square Two, consisting of tracks "Playing with Fire" and "Stay", on November 1, 2016. "Playing with Fire" was Blackpink's second single to reach number one on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart and the first K-pop girl group song to chart on the Canadian Hot 100.

Blackpink's commercial success in their first five months earned them several rookie awards at major Korean year-end music award shows, including the Asia Artist Awards, Melon Music Awards, Golden Disc Awards,Seoul Music Awards, and Gaon Chart Music Awards. Additionally, Billboard named them one of the best new K-pop groups of 2016.

2017

On January 17, 2017, Blackpink revealed the name of their fan club—"Blink", a portmanteau of "black" and "pink."

On June 22, the group released their first standalone digital single, "As If It's Your Last". The song debuted at number one on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart one day after release, making it their third number-one hit on the chart. The music video for the song later went on to break the record for the most-liked music video by a Korean girl group on YouTube as well as the most-viewed K-pop group music video in the first 24 hours of release.

On July 20, 2017, Blackpink held a showcase at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, which was attended by more than 14,000 people, with as many as 200,000 people attempting to purchase tickets. The group made their Japanese debut on August 30, 2017, with the release of a self-titled Japanese extended play that included Japanese versions of their previous singles. The EP debuted and peaked at the top of the Oricon Albums Chart.

2018

On January 6, 2018, Blackpink released the first episode of their first reality show Blackpink House, via their official V Live and Youtube channels. On March 28, Blackpink re-released their debut Japanese EP under the name Re:Blackpink.

On June 15, 2018, the group released their first Korean-language EP, titled Square Up. The lead single, "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du", debuted at number 17 on the Official Trending Chart in the United Kingdom, making them the first female K-pop group to enter the chart. The single also debuted at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Blackpink the highest-charting Korean girl group on the chart. Square Up also brought the group their first entry and the highest-charting album by an all-female K-pop group at the time of its release on the Billboard 200. In South Korea, Square Up debuted at number one on Gaon Albums Chart. "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" peaked at number one on the digital, download, streaming, and mobile charts on Gaon in its second week, while "Forever Young" peaked at number two. YouTube's official tally saw the music video for "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" garner a total of 36.2 million views within 24 hours after its release, making it the most-viewed online video in the first 24 hours by a Korean act and the second most-watched music video of all time in first 24 hours of release at that time. Blackpink embarked on their sold-out first Japan tour, Blackpink Arena Tour 2018, in Osaka from July 24 to 25. A final stop of the tour was later added for December 24 at Kyocera Dome Osaka as a Christmas gift for fans, where they performed to a sold-out crowd of 50,000. On September 12, it was announced that the group would hold their first concert in Seoul. The concert was the first of the In Your Area World Tour, which continued throughout 2019 and early 2020 in North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia. The tour ultimately became the highest-grossing tour by a Korean girl group by the end of its run.

On October 19, English singer Dua Lipa released "Kiss and Make Up" with Blackpink, a new track on the re-released edition of her self-titled debut album. "Kiss and Make Up" debuted at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also became their second entry in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 36, and their first top 40 entry. They were the first female Korean group and third Korean act overall to reach the top 40.

In October 2018, the group signed with Interscope Records in a global partnership with YG Entertainment; they were to be represented by Interscope and Universal Music Group outside of Asia, and Polydor Records in the UK.

Jennie made her solo debut with her single "Solo" at Blackpink's Seoul concert on November 11; both the song and its official music video were released the following day. "Solo" debuted at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart.The song entered the Billboard K-pop Hot 100 on the chart issue dated November 24 at number one. Furthermore, "Solo" won three awards (giving Jennie a triple crown) on Inkigayo.

Their first Japanese studio album, Blackpink in Your Area, was made available digitally on November 23 and physically on December 5.

2019

Blackpink made their American debut at the Universal Music Group's 2019 Grammy Artist Showcase on February 9, 2019. The group subsequently appeared on several American television shows, including The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Good Morning America. That March, they became the first-ever K-pop girl group to cover Billboard magazine.

Blackpink's third extended play, Kill This Love, was released on April 5, 2019 alongside a single of the same name. Kill This Love debuted at number 24 on the Billboard 200, while the lead single reached number 41 on the Hot 100, becoming the highest-charting releases by a female Korean act on the two major Billboard charts.

Blackpink performed at the 2019 Coachella Festival on April 12 and 19, 2019, making them the first female K-pop group to do so. The group's Coachella set was well received by both critics and fans alike, with Gab Ginsberg of Billboard calling the show "electrifying" and "unforgettable".

2020

On April 22, it was confirmed the group would be collaborating with Lady Gaga for her sixth studio album, Chromatica, on the track titled "Sour Candy", which was released as a promotional single on May 28, 2020. On the Billboard Hot 100, the song debuted at number 33. In Australia, the song debuted at number eight, becoming Blackpink's highest-charting hit in the country. It was also their first top-twenty single in the UK, debuting at number 17.

YG Entertainment released a prologue of Blackpink's newest reality show, 24/365 with Blackpink, on June 13, ahead of its launch on YouTube. The show documents their 2020 comebacks alongside sharing their daily lives through vlogs.

The single "How You Like That" was heavily teased on social media in the lead up to its digital release on June 26. It debuted at number 12 on the Gaon Digital Chart with just one day and 16 hours of tracking and peaked at number one on the Gaon Digital, Download, and Streaming charts in its second week. "How You Like That" became Blackpink's fifth song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 (peaking at number 33), and its music video broke five Guinness World Records. The song ranked first in Youtube Music's Global Top 10 Songs of Summer 2020 and won Song of Summer at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, making Blackpink the first Korean female act to win at the award show.

On July 23, YG Entertainment announced that a second single, "Ice Cream", with American singer Selena Gomez, would be released on August 28. "Ice Cream" debuted and peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Blackpink's highest-charting song on the chart.

Blackpink released their first Korean studio album, The Album, on October 2, 2020, with "Lovesick Girls" as its third and main single. Leading up to the exclusive video premiere of their music video for "Lovesick Girls," Blackpink appeared on Youtube's new original music show Released as its first featured artist, which included "unfiltered access" moments of the group. The Album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and the UK Album Chart, making Blackpink the highest-charting Korean female act on each chart. The album also set a first-week album sales record for a Korean girl group, with 590,000 copies sold in just one day after the physical album's release. Blackpink became the first-ever million-selling K-pop girl group with The Album, selling approximately 1.2 million copies in less than one month after release. Blackpink performed "Lovesick Girls" on Good Morning America and Jimmy Kimmel Live! in the United States on October 21.

The group's first documentary film, Blackpink: Light Up the Sky, premiered on Netflix on October 14, 2020 and covered the four years since the group's debut in 2016. The documentary included footage from their training days, looks at their home lives, behind-the-scenes stories and interviews with the members, as well as glimpses into the making of The Album. The successful release of The Album, combined with the group's Netflix documentary, resulted in Blackpink topping Bloomberg's Pop Star Power Ranking for the month of October; Blackpink are the first Korean artist to top the ranking since its inception.

2021

On December 2, Blackpink announced their collaboration with YouTube Music for their first livestream concert. The live event, dubbed as "The Show," was rescheduled to January 31, 2021. The concert featured the first performances of several songs from The Album, as well as of Rosé's song "Gone" from her first solo single album R. It was later revealed that more than 280,000 people purchased a membership to get access to the show.

On February 25, 2021, Blackpink were formally appointed official advocates for COP26, the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, UK. This was followed by their formal appointment, by the United Nations, as United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Advocates for climate action.

Rosé's debut single album, entitled R, was released on 12 March 2021. Upon release, with 41.6 million views in 24 hours on her lead single "On the Ground", she currently holds the title as the most viewed South Korean music video of a soloist in 24 hours after breaking the almost 8-year record of former labelmate Psy's "Gentleman". "On the Ground" peaked at number 70 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the highest-charting song by a Korean female soloist in the US. The song also debuted and peaked at number 1 on both the Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts, the first song by a Korean solo artist to do so in the charts' histories. Rosé was also the first female Korean solo idol to enter the UK Singles Chart, and posted the highest debut by a solo idol on the UK chart in history. On 24 March, Rosé received her first-ever music show win as a soloist with her single "On the Ground" through South Korean cable music program, Show Champion, and would go on to win five more. On 5 April, the music video for Rosé's song "Gone" was released.

Throughout the first half of 2021, Jisoo filmed her first drama as the lead female actress - Snowdrop on JTBC, where it was expected to debut later in the second half of 2021.

In July 2021, YG Entertainment announced that Lisa was filming the MV for her debut as a solo artist. Her solo debut was expected to take place in August 2021.

In August 2021, Blackpink released a Japanese version of The Album on August 3, 2021.

Lisa's debut single album Lalisa and its lead single of the same name were released on September 10, 2021. The MV for Lalisa broke the record for most-viewed video by a soloist in 24 hours, with 73.6 views. The song debuted at number 84 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and at number 2 on the Billboard Global 200, becoming Lisa's first top-ten hit on the latter. The single album sold 736,221 copies in Korea on the first week of release, setting the record for the highest first-week sales among all female artists and making Lisa the first female soloist to achieve 500,000 copies in first-week sales. Following the release of Money's performance video and a subsequent surge in popularity, Money peaked at number 90 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number 10 on the Billboard Global 200. Lisa became the first solo idol to chart two songs in the UK Official Singles Chart. As of April 2022, Money is still charting on the Billboard Global exc US, and has become the second longest charting song by any female K-pop artist.

On October 22nd 2022, Lisa released SG, a collaboration with DJ Snake, Ozuna and Megan Thee Stallion, becoming Lisa's first number-one song on the Latin Airplay chart.

At the United Nations climate action conference, COP26, Blackpink were featured. On November 3, 2021, Blackpink released a speech played at the conference to world leaders to urge them to take urgent climate action.

Jisoo's drama, Snowdrop, aired from December 28 2021 to January 30 2022. The series had consistent viewership, raising to its second highest viewer numbers in the final episode. The series was released on Disney+ in Asia-Pacific regions and was the most watched series on Disney+ in Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The series later premiered worldwide on Disney+, Star+ or Hotstar (region dependent). Jisoo's emotive performance as the show's protagonist was well received.

2022

In spite of an initial controversy over the potential content of the show, Korea Communication Standards Commission concluded in March 2022 that the drama was uncontroversial and had not distorted history in any way. Following this, in April 2022 network JTBC filed criminal complaints against netizens for defamation.

On July 6, YG Entertainment announced that Blackpink was in the final stages of recording for a new album with plans to record a music video in mid-July and release a new song in August. On July 12, YG Entertainment revealed that Blackpink would hold a virtual in-game concert in PUBG Mobile from July 22 to 30, including performances of the group's hit songs as well as a special track titled "Ready for Love" to be previewed during the event for the first time. It was released in full with an animated music video on July 29.

In July, Jennie was also announced to make her Hollywood debut in the Television series 'The Idol', making her the first Korean idol to feature in an American drama series.

On July 31, it was announced that the group's second album, Born Pink, would be released on September 16, preceded by a pre-release single titled "Pink Venom" to be released on August 19 and followed by an accompanying world tour starting in October. On August 15, the group was announced as part of the performing lineup for the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards, making them the first female K-pop group to do so.